Many types of grips have been devised for attachment to firearms or pistols to enable a user to better hold and aim the firearm, or to reduce recoil or otherwise improve the comfort when the firearm is held and fired with consistent accuracy. The use of elastomers in the grip assembly provides for a better “feel” in the user's hand and may provide a certain amount of bulk or sizing to otherwise standard factory produced grips.
People naturally have different sizes and shaped hands. Pistols, rifles and revolvers are, however, normally manufactured and sold with only one size, shape, and style of a firearm grip portion. Consequently, there is a substantial probability that the firearm that an individual purchases will not have a grip that properly fits that person's hand. An improper size, shape, and style of firearm grip portion can make the firearm uncomfortable to shoot, make it difficult to shoot accurately and can even make it unsafe to handle or to draw from a holster. In addition, individuals have their own preferences when it comes to the construction of a firearm/handgun grip. Some individuals will want a comparatively soft grip portion that has some give to it and yet other individuals will prefer a more rigid grip. In a similar manner, individuals have their own preferences when it comes to the type of external surface of a firearm/handgun grip. Some individuals will want a comparatively smooth grip portion and yet other individuals will prefer a grip that has checkering or the like on the grip surface that provides friction between the hand and the grip. Other advanced shooters may have a preference for a particular style or configuration of the grip portion. These present problems are greatly compounded, in those instances when firearms are purchased for use for multiple users such as for police departments or other law enforcement agencies where it is to be expected that there will be multiple users for the firearm during its service life.
The grips for firearms, hereinafter often in brief referred to as “rifles”, without the invention being limited to these weapons, serve to provide a solid grip for marksmen and to dampen the impact to the hand and, where applicable, the arm of the marksman when a shot is fired. As different users have different shapes of hands, there is a need to equip weapons with a range of grips. Firearm grips may even be specifically designed for competitive marksmen and special units, and modified for each marksman.
It is common practice for hand weapons, in particular to have a multipart grip, whereby the individual part can be exchanged for differently shaped and designed parts and/or parts of different sizes, to make the weapon suitable for users with different hand shapes.
Numerous innovations have been provided in the prior art which are adapted to a grip for a rifle having interchangeable grip panels. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific purposes to which they address, however, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,148 to Danas describes a grip for a firearm comprising insertable and removable trigger finger support inserts for a side panel of the grip for more shooting accuracy and consistency.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,845,105 to Cahill discloses a grip panel attached to a firearm accessory rail for attaching a pressure switch. The grip comprises removable interchangeable sliding or other type locking inserts that trap and fasten switches for firearm accessories such as white lights, lasers, invisible lasers, and communication devices to the host firearm.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,156,677 to Glock describes a firearm which includes an elongate removable backstrap that is selectively mountable to a grip of the firearm such that when mounted thereto, the effective size of the grip is increased. A pin used for mounting the backstrap can also secure a trigger mechanism housing to the receiver of the firearm.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,490,311 to Hogue discloses firearm grip assemblies for handguns. The firearm grip sleeve has retention features having a body including a central bore and a mating element, which enhance the functionality of standard factory-supplied firearm grips while remaining in a fixed position with respect to the firearm grip.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,587,852 to Harms describes a firearm handgun grip portion of a handgun frame with a forward grip portion and a rear grip portion with the rear grip portion having connecting means for removably connecting a plurality of removable and replaceable grip portions to the rear grip portion of the handgun frame through a sliding motion with a projecting rib portion on the handgun grip portion sliding into and out of slots, further the portions of the removable and replaceable grip portions are retained in a well to prevent them from spreading under pressure.
U.S. Patent Application. No. 2006/0096147 to Beretta discloses a grip of a gun that can be removably snap fitted in a rear portion of the body of the gun with reference to the trigger, the grip is adapted to envelop and at least partially cover a rear surface and at least portions of side surfaces of the body.
U.S. Patent Application. No. 2010/0139144 to Fitzpatrick et al. describes a modular handgrip for rifles, the handgrip features a base with a locking dovetail rail on opposite sides configured to receive a rail. Back strap and fore strap additions are provided capable of receiving the rail on the body. Also a storage compartment is provided inside the main body, accessible from a bottom of the grip.
U.S. Patent Application. No. 2012/0055060 to Hines et al. discloses a firearm handgrip that can be modified to accept an ergonomic insert that changes the palm relief of a firearm. The ergonomic insert can be releasable from the handgrip. A family of ergonomic inserts and a machining service can be offered to thereby provide firearms having interchangeable ergonomic inserts and thereby a customized and ergonomic grip.
U.S. Patent Application. No. 2013/0205635 to Hines et al. describes a removable grip insert for a modified handgun grip having an open cavity obtained by a planar removal of a portion of a rear wall of an original grip, where the original grip has backward-converging sidewalls and a magazine well with a flat back plate defining a cavity with the rear wall. The insert facilitates adjusting the size of the grip of a Glock handgun and a method for adapting such a grip to easily receive, accommodate, and secure the insert in place.
It is apparent now that numerous innovations for a grip for a rifle having interchangeable grip panels have been developed in the prior art that are adequate for various purposes. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific purposes to which they address, accordingly, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described. Thus a method and a system of a grip for an automatic rifles, including, but not limited to, AR-10 and AR-15 rifles, having a skeletonized frame that mates with a lower receiver of the rifle and including reinforced frame members for enhancing structural integrity of the grip, an opening for storing items, and interchangeable grip panels for altering the visual and functional aspects of the grip is needed.